With our heightened awareness of the importance of energy consumption, it is becoming increasingly important to take steps in conserving energy, planning for our future and saving money. One (1) of the methods that many people use to meet these goals is to optimize the thermal insulation in their homes. Typically, the exterior walls and the attic or crawl spaces of homes are shielded from the outside temperature gradients by the use of an insulating material. Other insulating materials are typically used around doors and windows. However, a great deal of heat loss or gain actually occurs around electrical boxes such as those used for outlets, switches and light fixtures. Due to their thickness, it is often impossible to insulate around them, thus making them available to lose or gain heat. Additionally, the lack of a vapor barrier also means that water can condense on the inside or outside of the receptacle box.
Various solutions have been attempted to overcome the inherent disadvantages of traditional electrical fixture covers. These attempts include applying caulking to the faceplate seams or the use of gaskets which may prevent air passage. These solutions are undesirable since they limit the removal of the face plate or require alteration prior to use. Furthermore, these solutions do not provide sufficient combined thermal and vapor resistance properties, resiliency, or durability and do not provide a pattern which can be used with multiple situations.
Examples of these solutions can be seen by reference to several U.S. patents, including: U.S. Pat. No. 4,293,173, issued in the name of Tricca, which describes a thermal insulating system for electrical outlets on the outside of buildings; U.S. Pat. No. 4,772,767, issued in the name of Sawada, which describes a waterproof casing for an electrical switch; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,163,137, issued in the name of Close, Jr., which describes a gasket for sealing around a wall opening to prevent the passage of air.
Additionally, ornamental designs for wall plates and the like exist as seen by example in U.S. Pat. No. D 505,060, issued in the name of Nortier et al. However, none of these designs are similar to the present invention.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives, each of these references suffer from one (1) or more of the aforementioned disadvantages. Accordingly, there is a need for a means by which electrical boxes can be provided insulation and vapor protection to address the concerns as listed above. The development of the present invention substantially departs from the conventional solutions and in doing so fulfills this need.